Class 10 Social Science Chapter 17 Political Parties (Civics) Practice Paper 2

Class: X Subject: Political Science Session: 2025-26 Chapter: 04 - Political Parties Time: 1½ Hours Max. Marks: 40

General Instructions:

1. All questions are compulsory.

2. This question paper contains 20 questions divided into five sections A, B, C, D and E.

3. Section A contains 10 MCQs of 1 mark each.

4. Section B contains 4 questions of 2 marks each.

5. Section C contains 3 questions of 3 marks each.

6. Section D contains 1 question of 5 marks.

7. Section E contains 2 Case Study Based questions of 4 marks each.

SECTION A - Multiple Choice Questions (1 mark each)

Q1. The Indian National Congress was founded in:
(a) 1857
(b) 1885
(c) 1905
(d) 1947

Q2. Which party believes in Marxism-Leninism?
(a) BJP
(b) INC
(c) CPI-M
(d) BSP

Q3. The party system in India is:
(a) One-party system
(b) Two-party system
(c) Multi-party system
(d) No-party system

Q4. A State party needs to secure at least what percentage of votes in State Assembly elections?
(a) 3%
(b) 4%
(c) 5%
(d) 6%

Q5. Which is NOT a recognized national party?
(a) Samajwadi Party
(b) Bahujan Samaj Party
(c) Communist Party of India-Marxist
(d) National People's Party

Q6. The three components of a political party are:
(a) Leaders, workers, voters
(b) Leaders, active members, followers
(c) Ministers, MLAs, members
(d) President, Secretary, Treasurer

Q7. BSP was formed in which year?
(a) 1947
(b) 1964
(c) 1980
(d) 1984

Q8. Which challenge is related to family members controlling top positions in parties?
(a) Lack of internal democracy
(b) Dynastic succession
(c) Money and muscle power
(d) Lack of meaningful choice

Q9. The National People's Party was formed under the leadership of:
(a) Kanshi Ram
(b) Arvind Kejriwal
(c) P.A. Sangma
(d) Jayalalithaa

Q10. Which of the following is a suggested reform for political parties?
(a) Banning all political parties
(b) State funding of elections
(c) Reducing the number of parties
(d) Abolishing the Election Commission

SECTION B - Short Answer Questions (2 marks each)

Q11. Distinguish between a national party and a state party.

Q12. What is an alliance or front in the context of political parties?

Q13. Why did political parties become omnipresent in democracies?

Q14. What is meant by 'recognized political parties'?

SECTION C - Short Answer Questions (3 marks each)

Q15. Explain the role of opposition parties in a democracy.

Q16. What are the three major challenges faced by political parties today?

Q17. Write a brief note on the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

SECTION D - Long Answer Question (5 marks)

Q18. Discuss the various challenges faced by political parties in India. Suggest any two reforms to overcome these challenges.

SECTION E - Case Study Based Questions (4 marks each)

Q19. Read the following passage and answer the questions: "The Bharatiya Janata Party was founded in 1980 by reviving the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh. It wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India's ancient culture and values. Cultural nationalism (or 'Hindutva') is an important element in its conception of Indian nationhood and politics. Earlier limited to north and west and to urban areas, the party expanded its support in the south, east, the north-east and to rural areas."
(a) When was BJP founded? (1 mark)
(b) What is the ideological orientation of BJP? (2 marks)
(c) How has BJP's support base changed over time? (1 mark)

Q20. Read the following data and answer the questions: "Political parties do not enjoy much trust among the people in South Asia. Yet the level of participation in the activities of political parties was fairly high. The proportion of those who said they were members of some political party was higher in India than many advanced countries like Canada, Japan, Spain and South Korea. Over the last three decades, the proportion of those who report to be members of political parties in India has gone up steadily."
(a) What is the contradiction mentioned in the passage? (1 mark)
(b) How does India compare with advanced countries in party membership? (1 mark)
(c) What has been the trend of party membership in India? (1 mark)
(d) What does this tell us about Indian democracy? (1 mark) DETAILED ANSWER KEY - PAPER 02

SECTION A - Answers to MCQs

Ans 1.
(b) 1885 Ans 2.
(c) CPI-M Ans 3.
(c) Multi-party system Ans 4.
(d) 6% Ans 5.
(a) Samajwadi Party Ans 6.
(b) Leaders, active members, followers Ans 7.
(d) 1984 Ans 8.
(b) Dynastic succession Ans 9.
(c) P.A. Sangma Ans 10.
(b) State funding of elections

SECTION B - Answers to Short Answer Questions

Ans 11. National Party: A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four States and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognized as a national party. It operates at the national level. State Party: A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least two seats is recognized as a State party. It operates primarily at the state level. Ans 12. When several parties in a multi-party system join hands for the purpose of contesting elections and winning power, it is called an alliance or a front. For example, in India there were three major alliances in 2004 parliamentary elections - the National Democratic Alliance, the United Progressive Alliance and the Left Front.

Ans 13. Political parties became omnipresent in democracies because large societies needed representative democracy. As societies became large and complex, they also needed some agency to gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government. They needed ways to bring various representatives together so that a responsible government could be formed. Political parties fulfill these needs that every representative government has. Ans 14. Recognized political parties are those parties that are given special facilities and privileges by the Election Commission. These parties are given a unique symbol - only the official candidates of that party can use that election symbol. The Election Commission has laid down detailed criteria of the proportion of votes and seats that a party must get in order to be a recognized party.

SECTION C - Answers to Short Answer Questions

Ans 15. Role of opposition parties in a democracy:

1. Voice different views: Opposition parties voice views different from those of the ruling party and criticize the government for its failures or wrong policies.

2. Mobilize opposition: Opposition parties mobilize opposition to the government's policies and decisions when they believe these are against public interest.

3. Keep government accountable: By constantly questioning and scrutinizing government actions, opposition parties keep the ruling party accountable to the people and prevent misuse of power. Ans 16. Three major challenges faced by political parties today are:

1. Lack of internal democracy: There is concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. Parties do not hold organizational meetings and internal elections regularly. Ordinary members do not have sufficient say in decision making.

2. Dynastic succession: Since parties do not practice open procedures, those who are leaders can favour their family members. Top positions are often controlled by members of one family, which is unfair and bad for democracy.

3. Money and muscle power: Parties tend to nominate candidates who have or can raise lots of money. Rich people and companies who give funds to parties have influence on policies. In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections. Ans 17. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was founded in 1964. It believes in Marxism-Leninism and supports socialism, secularism and democracy while opposing imperialism and communalism. The party accepts democratic elections as a useful means for securing the objective of socio-economic justice in India. It enjoys strong support in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, especially among the poor, factory workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and the intelligentsia. The party is critical of new economic policies that allow free flow of foreign capital and goods into the country. CPI-M was in power in West Bengal without a break for 34 years.

SECTION D - Answer to Long Answer Question

Ans 18. Challenges faced by political parties in India:

1. Lack of internal democracy: All over the world there is a tendency in political parties towards the concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly. Ordinary members do not get sufficient information on what happens inside the party.

2. Dynastic succession: Since most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party. Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour people close to them or even their family members.

3. Money and muscle power: Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use short-cuts to win elections. They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money. Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties tend to have influence on the policies and decisions of the party.

4. Lack of meaningful choice: Very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters. In recent years, there has been a decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world. Those who want really different policies have no option available to them. Suggested reforms:

1. Law to regulate internal affairs: A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political parties. It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a register of its members, to follow its own constitution, to have an independent authority, to act as a judge in case of party disputes, and to hold open elections to the highest posts.

2. State funding of elections: There should be state funding of elections. The government should give parties money to support their election expenses. This support could be given in kind (petrol, paper, telephone) or in cash on the basis of the votes secured by the party in the last election. This would reduce the influence of money power in politics.

SECTION E - Answers to Case Study Based Questions

Ans 19.
(a) BJP was founded in 1980.
(b) The ideological orientation of BJP includes: • Drawing inspiration from India's ancient culture and values • Cultural nationalism or 'Hindutva' as an important element in its conception of Indian nationhood • Deendayal Upadhyaya's ideas of integral humanism and Antyodaya
(c) BJP's support base, which was earlier limited to north and west India and to urban areas, has expanded to the south, east, the north-east and to rural areas as well. Ans 20.
(a) The contradiction is that political parties do not enjoy much trust among people, yet the level of participation in party activities is fairly high.

(b) The proportion of those who are members of political parties is higher in India than many advanced countries like Canada, Japan, Spain and South Korea.
(c) Over the last three decades, the proportion of party members in India has gone up steadily, showing an increasing trend.
(d) This tells us that despite criticism of parties, Indian citizens are actively participating in democratic politics through parties. It shows the deepening of democracy and people's engagement with the political process.